Source
r/motorcycles•
logdog

First bike, 42k miles on a 1979 Kawa650SR too many?

Hey all, buying my first bike. Saw this awesome looking Kawasaki 650 SR, which looks well taken care of but has a lot of miles for a bike. I was something that is going to be awesome for my first bike, but it needs to run for at least a while! I was wondering if the Rideit community knew any more about the life of these older bikes? I know certain BMW engines take a beating, I was hoping this was similar.

Here is a picture of the beauty: http://imgur.com/tdrsf

Posted Apr 16, 2012, 7:11 PM UTC

210
THEarmpit[SC] '00 SV650 | '72 RT360 | '05 EX500 Trackbike•

That's on up there with the miles. Do you know if the engine has ever had any major work done? A high miles bike with a motor that had a full rebuild ~10k miles ago is a low miles bike.

3
logdogOP•

I can ask, but the guy is the original owner who bought it in 1979, so I doubt he has a rebuilt engine in it. I can ask though. Thanks!

1
crosscut•

I wouldn't worry about that many miles over that kind of time. It's your first bike, buy it and learn how to ride.

3
SpiderxkxGSXR•

As long as it has been maintained and done oil changes the motor will last awhile. My bike has about 43k miles on it and is still going strong, it's a 1999 Suzuki 600 GSXR. And don't let the cosmetics fool you about it being well taken care of. Talk to who ever is selling it and ask for a list of changes or when the oil changes were. Someone who keeps up with those kinds of things usually takes good care of their motorcycles and it's something you will need not knowing the history of that bike.

2
nates78YZF600R/HarleyLowrider•

I have 70k on my 07 Yamaha and 40k on my 09 Harley. It depends on how it was taken care of. I would be more concerned about the things that wear with time (hoses, plugs, rust).

2
Schooling4fun2002 Ninja 500R•

One thing I've noticed on older bikes (mine included), 5 digit odometers. This means after 99999 km (or miles if thats your preference) you're back at zero. This also means on a bike thats been around for 33 years, it could have completely rolled its odometer several times.

2
jasiones03 SV 650s•

i have 48k miles on my 03 sv..so that's fine :D

1
duoderf•

42k isnt that much for a bike, it only seems like a lot because most bikes either dont get ridden or get crashed with low miles. As long as it has been maintained you should be good to go

1
cornball1111Nighthawk 750•

one thing with older bikes is repairs. one thing breaks and when you fix it three more will break in your hands... also these old bikes wont handle or stop as well, add that to risk of breakdown and it's not as safe for a first bike.. unless you know the bike and trust it.

1
cornball1111Nighthawk 750•

it does look clean as hell though could be great

1